Star Trek: Proteus
by SilverThorn-2000
Summary: The USS Proteus, a Luna-class explorer, explores the frontiers of the Federation.


Star Trek: Proteus

SilverThorn-2000

1.

The webwork of tritanium and other alloys hung off the blue jewel known as Earth. Cradled in that suspension was a starship, Luna-class. More rounded than it's Intrepid-class cousin, but in its own way sleek and agile, just waiting to take to the stars.

_Or,_ mused Captain Christopher St. John_, That's the view of her romantic of a captain._ He looked over it as the shuttle moved to the scaffolding's bay. From there, he'd board his command, the _USS Proteus_, NCC-80113.

He was jerked back to reality at the pilot's voice. "Better take a seat, Captain, we'll be landing soon." He nodded, then took a seat, running a hand over the stubble on his face. Idly, he wondered when he'd last remembered to shave. _Too damn long,_ came the mental response.

He looked again, watching as the shuttlebay's interior engulfed the view.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vis D'Artagnan winced at the crowds storming the corridors of the Proteus. He knew most were service personnel only on hand until the ship was stocked and ready to go, but that would be a few hours yet. He looked at his padd, the junction map on the wall, and winced again. "Great. Talk about a wrong turn."

He swung around and almost collided with another gold-uniformed figure. "Woah! Didn't see you there!"

The figure fumbled, pushing something up over his eyes. "That's all right." He lowered his hands, and Vis blinked in surprise.

"You're Romulan. And you're wearing...are those...sunglasses?"

The Romulan nodded. "Yes, and yes. It's a long story."

Vis nodded, green head with solid blue eyes slowly moving up and down. "Can you make it short?" The Romulan grinned, nodding warmly. He proffed a hand, which Vis shook.

"Talrish Vorden, or Tal if you prefer. I'm supposed to be the Chief of Security and Tactical." His finger tapped his sunglasses. "And these are because I grew up on Remus."

Vis winced again. "Light sensitive, huh?"

Tal nodded again. "Very." He glanced at the map, then at Vis. "Lemme guess..."

"Yeah. Might be fortuitous to work together." Vis grinned.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The turbolift doors opened with their usual hiss, and St. John stepped out onto Proteus' bridge. _His_ bridge. The center chair was occupied by an Andorian woman who quickly vacated it with a call of "Captain on the bridge!"

"As you were." St. John ordered, glancing the girl. "Commander Shari, I presume?"

"Yes sir." She smiled. "Glad to be here, sir. Kind of a childhood dream of mine." St. John smiled a crooked little smile.

"Makes two of us, Commander."

"Sir, communique coming in from Starfleet Command." St. John nodded at the man who stood at the communications station. "I'll take it in my ready room. Commander, you've got the bridge."

"Sir." Shari nodded, then resumed the center seat. St. John swiftly crossed the bridge, sprung down the steps, and strode into his ready room, much to the amusement of the crew manning the bridge.

St. John pointedly ignored the chuckling of his crew. Little point in chewing them out over his excitement.

He pushed the thought aside as he slid behind his desk and transferred the call to his console. "Admiral Janeway," he greeted in what he hopes was a calm manner.

"Captain St. John. I trust you've gotten over the new-ship jitters?" The older woman smiled wanly, and St. John broke into a sheepish grin.

"That obvious, Ma'am?"

She shook her head. "You'll be pleased to know I've got the _Proteus_' first orders. Some nice, simple exploration duty."

"Glad to hear it." St. John settled back.

"We're looking at territory past Deep Space 9 here, Captain." Janeway said seriously.

"I thought Defiant was the ship that would be looking into Gamma Quadrant." St. John admitted calmly.

"There's a lot of space between DS9 and Gamma, captain. Proteus will be one of the ships exploring those new sectors." Janeway looked off-screen for a moment, and St. John audibly heard the sound of a console beeping. "You've been assigned a sector designated 'Sanctuary'. _Proteus_ will be the first ship in, but certainly not the last."

"What do we know about the sector?" St. John asked after a moment.

"Not much, though we've detected an abandoned structure." Janeway continued.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The better part of an hour, St. John strode back onto the bridge. "Commander, how close are we to finishing our preperations?"

"About twenty minutes, Captain," Shari replied smoothly. "Why?"

"Admiral Janeway just handed me our first orders. First we need to lend SCE a hand, then we've got a nice big sector to ourselves for a while." St. John took his seat. "Finish loading supplies and get our people on board. I'd like to head out." Shari cocked her head at him, noting that the captain no longer bothered to hide his excitement.

"Aye sir."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vis found engineering about where he'd expected it. "Commander, the first officer just called down. She wants us ready to be underway as soon as possible."

"Don't they always?" Vis asked, smirking. "Lieutenant, you take those two ensigns there, get the anti-matter regulators online. You two, get the intermix set! Move it, people! I don't want to disappoint the captain on the first day!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tal slipped into the tactical station with an ease that surprised him. He'd been wary of following the path of Starfleet's tactical division from the get go; he'd embraced a much more pacifistic stance than many Romulans. After consulting with a few monks of the Shaolin Temple, he'd enrolled in the academy, majoring in Tactical. His eyes flicked over the console.

"All green here, captain," he informed St. John. The captain nodded.

"Understood. And welcome aboard, Mr. Vorden." St. John said warmly. Tal nodded in turn.

"Nice to be here, Captain. Nice to be somewhere that's not a backwater." Tal shrank slightly as the first officer glared in his direction. The captain tapped his second's shoulder, shook his head when she looked at him, and he let out a breath he'd been unaware he was holding.

"All right, people. Let's get underway. St. John to engineering." The captain's hand tapped his combadge.

"_Engineering here, sir."_

"Are we ready to get underway?"

"_Should be, but I can't guarantee anything until we actually try it."_

The captain nodded. "Prepare for departure."

Commander Shari grinned. "All stations, report!"

"Tactical, ready." "Communications, ready." "Helm and navigation, ready." "Engineering ready." "Sciences ready."

Shari looked at St. John. "All stations report ready." St. John nodded.

"Engineering, bring up fusion reactors."

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

Vis' fingers worked over the console, bringing Proteus' main fusion reactors online. "Fusion standing by...online now, captain. Beginning start up of the matter/anti-matter reactor assembly."

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

To anyone inside the ship, this activity would've seemed mundane, even boring. But as Vis D'Artagnan brought the _Proteus_' myriad power sources online, the ship came to life on the outside. The running lights first, flickering to life as little gems upon the grey of the hull. Then the navigational deflectory, lighting to a warm blue. Finally, the nacelles lit as the ramscoops came online and the warp coils received the first bit of plasma, heating them to a standby state.

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

"Engineering to bridge. Captain, engines are online and we're ready to leave at your leisure." Vis commented when they'd finished starting up the engines.

"Lieutenant Shepard," St. John spoke to the helmsman, "Ahead, one-quarter impulse."

" Aye, sir. Always wanted to do this." Shepard's fingers manipulated the console, one that had been surplus from the Defiant-class program, and slowly the ship moved forward. Minutes passed as the great webwork of shipyard scaffolding slid past, moving the _Proteus_ free of it's constraints for the first time_._

"Sir, we're clear of dock." Shepard reported at last.

" Very well, lieutenant. Lay in a course for Deep Space 9. We're to rendevous with the_ Arthur C. Clarke_ there." St. John said. Shepard's fingers manipulated the console, then he looked back at the captain.

"Course laid in, sir."

"Warp 4. Engage." St. John's voice was firm.

Freed from constraints, the _Proteus_ leaped for the stars.


End file.
